Day 44: The PCH is Still Closed
Santa Barbara, CA to Carmel by the Sea, CA
281.3 Miles | 5:46 Riding Time
It’s Friday, May 24, 2024, and it’s Day 44 of my cross country motorcycle trip.
Today was supposed to be an epic ride along the Pacific Coast Highway from Santa Barbara through Big Sur to Monterey. Unfortunately, the PCH is still closed from the South end of Limekiln Creek Bridge to Dolan Point. It’s not a long stretch that’s closed, but it’s a stretch where there aren’t any viable alternatives. One option, was the Nacimiento-Furgeson Road, but guess what? That road got 15 inches of rain, and experienced “extensive slides, debris flows and road failures at a dozen sites along the road,” and the road is “impassable to vehicle traffic.”
So, after a delicious bagel sandwich at my hotel, I went inland to the 101, and headed up to King City, where the winds were really strong. I asked a gas station attendant if it was always this windy up here. Her answer was simply, “yes.” Oh well. Keep on going.
Since this was the Friday of Memorial Day weekend, the hotels in Monterey were super-expensive. I found a place in Carmel by the Sea that looked good, the Carmel Fireplace Inn. I also found the Carmel Valley Road that went from King City directly into Carmel, and it was a beautiful. Hills, twists, some shade, and very few cars for the first 90 minutes. After battling winds and traffic on the 101 for a couple hours, it was such a welcome road—highly recommend it.
Getting into Carmel, I ran into a few raindrops, but nothing major. Got to the hotel, cleaned up and walked a couple blocks over to Flaherty's Seafood Grill & Oyster Bar. The guy next to me at the bar was having Manhattan Clam Chowder and raved about it. I ordered some, and a crab-crusted halibut. If you’re in Carmel, Flaherty’s gets a thumbs-up from me.
